The New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Published: March 27, 2010
THERE were times when last Sunday’s great G.O.P. health care implosion threatened to bring the thrill back to reality television. On ABC’s “This Week,” a frothing and filibustering Karl Rove all but lost it in a debate with the Obama strategist David Plouffe. A few hours later, the perennially copper-faced Republican leader John Boehner revved up his “Hell no, you can’t!” incantation in the House chamber — instant fodder for a new viral video remixing his rap with will.i.am’s “Yes, we can!” classic from the campaign. Boehner, having previously likened the health care bill to Armageddon, was now so apoplectic you had to wonder if he had just discovered one of its more obscure revenue-generating provisions, a tax on indoor tanning salons.
But the laughs evaporated soon enough. There’s nothing entertaining about watching goons hurl venomous slurs at congressmen like the civil rights hero John Lewis and the openly gay Barney Frank. And as the week dragged on, and reports of death threats and vandalism stretched from Arizona to Kansas to upstate New York, the F.B.I. and the local police had to get into the act to protect members of Congress and their families.
How curious that a mob fond of likening President Obama to Hitler knows so little about history that it doesn’t recognize its own small-scale mimicry of Kristallnacht. The weapon of choice for vigilante violence at Congressional offices has been a brick hurled through a window. So far.
No less curious is how disproportionate this red-hot anger is to its proximate cause. The historic Obama-Pelosi health care victory is a big deal, all right, so much so it doesn’t need Joe Biden’s adjective to hype it. But the bill does not erect a huge New Deal-Great Society-style government program. In lieu of a public option, it delivers 32 million newly insured Americans to private insurers. As no less a conservative authority than The Wall Street Journal editorial page observed last week, the bill’s prototype is the health care legislation Mitt Romney signed into law in Massachusetts. It contains what used to be considered Republican ideas. Read the rest of this entry »
Pope will ‘not be intimidated by petty gossip’ over sex abuse scandals
Pope Benedict XVI began Holy Week on Sunday by suggesting in his Palm Sunday address that the Catholic Church would “not be intimidated” by the sex abuse scandals sweeping it.
By Nick Pisa in Rome
Published: 3:30PM BST 28 Mar 2010
Pope Benedict XVI Leads Palm Sunday At St. Peter’s Square Photo: GETTY
In a clear indication that the Vatican continues to insist the stream of abuse revelations are part of a conspiracy the Pope said: “From God comes the courage not to be intimidated by petty gossip.”
Although he did not directly mention the crisis that has seen claims of abuse from Ireland, Germany, Austria, Holland and Brazil the 82 year old Pontiff’s message was evidently clear.
As he spoke, thousands of pilgrims who had gathered in a sunlit St Peter’s Square clapped and shouted “Viva il Papa” (Long Live The Pope). The scandals seemingly not to have had an impact on their faith.
Last week the Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano said the abuse allegations were part of an “ignoble attempt to strike at Pope Benedict XVI and his closest collaborators at any cost”. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, the liberals ON ADKOB are going to say… “here we go again”…
Yep… liberalism certainly gives me a lot to gripe about. Right now, I’m going to gripe about the capital of progressive liberalism… Hollywood.
I’ve watched the movie “Doubt”, with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, several times and I now know that my first impression was correct. This movie promotes Hollywood’s ultra liberalistic movement to stifle (or completely wipe out ) Christian values. And it’s frustrating because of the great amount of influence Hollywood has. I believe, unfortunately, they will ultimately win and their views will reign in main stream society, if they don’t already.
The reason I say that I “now know” that my first impression of the movie is correct is because, on the surface, the movie seems to be very ambiguous. Even to the end, we can’t truly be sure who the protagonist is and who is the antagonist. But really, one could know this just by learning of the major components…. a staunch, hard lined, by the “Book” Catholic (CHRISTIAN) Nun, a Priest who wants to “modernize” or “LIBERALIZE” the church, and Hollywood. And to be more descriptive… a Nun who holds on to traditional Christian values and a Priest who believes that “love” is the most important thing above all, but… oh yeah, this kind of “love” just happens to express itself sometimes through sexual contact with a 12 year old boy. Read the rest of this entry »
Netherlands gay protest over Catholic communion snub
Hundreds of gay protesters descended on Sunday Mass in Sint-Jan church
Hundreds of Dutch activists have walked out of a Mass in protest at a Roman Catholic policy of denying communion to practising homosexuals.
On this occasion, the church, in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, had already decided not to serve communion, so the protesters left, shouting and singing.
The dispute began earlier this month when a priest in a nearby town refused communion to an openly gay man.
The Netherlands was the first country to introduce gay marriage in 2001.
Most Dutch people support gay rights, but the Roman Catholic Church teaches that homosexual activity is sinful.
This dispute began during Dutch carnival celebrations earlier in February, when the man chosen to be carnival prince in nearby Reusel was refused communion because of his open homosexuality.
The refusal offended many in the local community.
The Sint-Jan church in the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, also known as Den Bosch, was prepared for the protest and so decided not to give out Holy Communion during Sunday Mass.
Several hundred demonstrators, dressed in pink wigs and clothes, left the church in protest.
The man at the centre of the row has said he just wants equal treatment – if he is regarded as a sinner, he wants the priest to refuse communion to all other sinners too.
religious zealots know satan. they live his creed. ← they think God is making them do what they’re doing but it’s really that tricky sneaky devil filling their souls with despair and hate for their fellow human beings. they have fallen under the spell of satan, the great deceiver. this only proves that ignorance is not bliss, folks! they’re opening themselves up to satan and serving him. for what empowers the devil most but fear and resentment and hate and all those other dark emotions that make for persecution and wars? satan’s favorite son adolf knew that so well! and he gathered the ignorant flock and tricked them into serving his father.
see the possessed christian(!?) speaking in the devil’s tongue!see another heiling her praises to her true lord!
Frank Rich photo: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
A Different Kind of Blog 